Steam pressing iron



April 1944. F. E. WOLCOTT 2,347,538

STEAM PRESSING IRON Filed July 27. 1940 Patented Apr. 215 144 zslrsssor to The Silex Company, corporation oi Connecticut Hartford, Conn., a

Application July 21, 1940, Serial No. 341,918

4 Claims.

This invention relates to steaming irons and more particularly to combination electric pressing and steaming irons such as shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 337,279 filed May 25, 1940, (Pat. No. 2,309,427, issued-Jan. 26, 1943).

It is well recognized kind, there is a great enced dueto the iact such an extent as to prevent the passage of steam therethrough. I

Such steam irons ally contain a steam distributing chamber communicating with the steam Jets and which is very susceptible to an accumulation of sediment therein that tends to dog the chamber as well as the let openings. .In steam irons such as heretofore known, no provision has been made for quickly and asily disassembling certain parts thereo't to render these steam passages, and the steam distributing chamber which are most susceptible to accumu lation oi sediment, accessible for cleaning.

An obiect oi this inventiow-thereiore. provide for a steam iron having a steam distrlbuting chamber and lets communicating therewith, a readily detachable member to prois w steam is elected from the upstanding boss It, on the vide for accessibility in cleaning thesaid steam chamber and jets, as well as the steam passages in said iron.

A further object or this invention is to provide a steam iron having a steam. distributing chamher in the sole plate thereof which is formed by means of acover that can beieesily detached to permit cleaning of the same chamber.

A further object 01. the invention is to provide such a steam distributing chamber and a cover over said chamber with jets therein that is removable to permit cleaning of the jets and steam chamber as well as to provide accessibility to the steam passage so that it may be readily cleaned of any accumulation of sediment.

Further objects'oi the inventionwill be more clearly understood irom tion and the accompanying drawing inwhich:

Fig. 1 is aside view of a steam iron such as chamber in said iron.

6. engage the thread on 4 -2i ilts within the recess described in my above stated co-pending application, with parts thereof broken away in central vertical section to illustrate the elements of the invention.

Fig. 2' is a bottom view of the sole plate oi'said iron showing a portion of the steam distributing chamber cover broken away.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the said cover. 7

Fig. 4 let. similar view showing a cover ota modified form.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in central vertical section of a portion of the sole plate with said modified form 01 cover.

Fig. 6 is a view of a portion of said cover in central vertical section on line 8-5 oi Fig. 4.

As illustrated in the drawing, the numeral 5 denotes the casing of esteem iron which. has a sole plate I, both of which are heated by an electric heating attached to said casing, all oiwhlch are described in detail in the aforesaid co-pending ap- 'plication.

This invention provides a steam distributing chamber in the form era recess 8, in the bottom of the sole plate. having a threaded well i that is surrounded by a shoulder ll. Th'e'said recess comm'unicateswith a threaded opening ii in an upper surface or the tapered seat 13 to receive a cooperating portion II in thebottom of the casing I which forms the bottom of a water The said portion is tapered in the upper suriace thereoi to. receiver. tapered shoulder on the member I which has a steam passage It therein leading to a valve that is operated by the handle II. The said recess 8 is provided with a cover It, in the former a sole plate, which has a.

' detachable screw plug having a recess is in the upper surface thereoi, a threadedwall 20 to the wall 9, and a flange ll. Steam jets, in the form of orifices 22, are provided to communicate with the steam distributing chamber 23 which is formed in said sole plate when the said cover is attached thereto. The bottom of the recess ill in said cover is provided with an angular upstanding wall 24 which forms a drip recess 25 therein for retaining any condensate that may element S-a and a handle 0 is drip from the passage it until it has beenevaporated intosteam; the said recess also acting to retain sediment therein and retard its accumulation in the jets 22.

the following descrip- The said cover it may be provided with aper-. tures 26, oppositely located therein, to receive a spanner wrench for turning the said cover when the cover l8 is.preferred.

that only steam will its reaching the jets 22.

cess than can be practically used as steam jets? thus rendering it possible to provide additional strength to ,the wrench for turning said cover. In the said modified form of cover, it will he noted that the inlet from the steam distributing chamber into the jet openings 26-11 is on aplate' below the bottom of the recess Ill-a so that the said recess may serve to retain any condensate that may be-admitted into the steam distributing chamber and also to provide a trap for sediment which will permit longer periods of use ,of the steam iron before. requiring cleaning of the sedi-' ment from, the steam distributing chamber.

. In the. construction shown, theiiange 2l-on in order to provide a positive stop for the cover so that the same may be accurately positioned withrelation tothe bottom of the'sole plate so as to assure a practically unbroken iroifing surface thereon.

In the operation of myinvention, any drip'oi. condensate from the passage It will :becaught in the recess-25 and retained :th-ereinuntilthe heat in the sole-plate, and consequently in said cover,.will re-evaporate ;the said condensate 'so pass out: through the jets 22. The said recess 25 will also retain a certain amount of sediment therein and"thereby. retard In the form illustrated in Figs. 4 to 6 the said condensate be retained in the recess Ill-a and re-evaporated therein so that only the steam Zillreach the top of the walllll-a and the'jets may have accumulated in the steam passage, the said cover-may be quickly detached from the bottom of the wall spanner wrench as bottoms of the" recess, as well as the openings l when itls desired to'remove any sediment that preferred,- they the recess 23 will also passage It so that sedialso removed.

. distributing chamber therein; said plug having 0 supply steam to said openings therethrough to pro'vide forheating said iron.

' 3. A steam iron comprising a sole plate having distributing chamber an upstanding annular wall, apertures extending generally vertically through said wall to conduct steam from said chamber to said pressing surface, a well in said plug locateddirectly below the said duct for retaining condensate and/or sediment from said steam, and means for heating said iron.

2. In a steam iron, a sole plate having a lower ironing surface with a downwardly opening recess, a closure for said recess, and means to recess, the said closure comprising a disc-shaped memberhaving an up standing annular wall providing a well in said closure and passages extending generally verti-- cally through said wall to conduct steam from said chamber to said pressing-surface, and means a downwardly ope I therein and a closure for-said distributing chamber; the said closure comprisinga disc-shaped 'member having an upstanding annular wall providing a central recess therein; said, wall having steam Jets communicating withsaididistributing chamber at a Point above the bottomof said recess, and bot-. tomed recesses extending:into said wall through the exterior face of said closure for receivinga tool for turning said closure.-

. said recess having therein 4. In a steam iron, a sole plate having a'lower,

pressing face and a downwardly opening recess.

' ing a lower pressing surface'inthe plane or the and" and the deta n, may be cleaned 0'! anysediment *that may have accumulated therein;

' pressing face of the sole 5 side wall, means to-supply plate, a vaporizing well open top and an annular. moisture to said well, heating means. operatively associated. with said sole plate and saidweli, steam' exhaust orifices surface .of said plug, the upper end .ofsaid wall being .spaced1 below the inner face oizthe recess to form av steam duct, and passagemeans to conduct steam from said duct to said orifices. 1

on said plug,,having an a removable plug hav-' a woman. 

